Toomey, Casey prep amendments for budget vote-a-rama

Colby ItkowitzCall Washington Bureau

For the first time in four years, the Senate will debate a budget resolution that will allow Pennsylvania's senators and their colleagues to offer an unlimited number of amendments that will, if nothing else, highlight their legislative priorities.

Sens. Pat Toomey and Bob Casey are readying a handful each, and are even working on some together, including a repeal of the 2010 healthcare law's medical device tax. Casey recently joined Toomey and other Republicans in their multi-year effort to undo the 2.3 percent tax hitting medical device companies, which are heavily concentrated in the Lehigh Valley and across Pennsylvania.

With universal Republican support and around six Democrats on board, Toomey thinks he has the votes to pass the medical device tax repeal. While this budget process will not be the vehicle to get the tax erased, Toomey thinks it could provide the momentum to get it done down the road.

The tax was intended to offset the costs of the expanded federal health care reforms. Those who support the tax say the medical device companies will financially benefit from the newly insured Americans. The companies, especially smaller ones, say the tax is devastating.

The Senate budget debate began Wednesday night with back-to-back votes expected to begin Friday and last well into the night.

Toomey is also offering amendments to stop the likely government bailout for sugar producers, a provision to make it easier to shift federal funding for lock and dams repairs, and one that increases the amount consumers can deduct in medical expenses for catastrophic care.

Casey's amendments include increased funding for law enforcement, a grant to train unemployed workers for Marcellus Shale jobs, investments in the life sciences industry and one to end the freeze on Jobs Corps enrollment, a program for disadvantaged youth.

The budget resolutions are nonbinding blueprints to lay out spending priorities. The House Republicans are expected to pass their budget - also known as the Paul Ryan plan - on Thursday. By the weekend both chambers will have passed partisan budget proposals that do very little to close the gulf between the two parties' goals.

Toomey, when asked about the exercise in futility, attempted a positive spin on the process.

"I still think it’s important to lay out competing visions...the fact that neither will become operative does not mean we shouldn’t have a discussion about where we go from here," he said.